What we're reading Wednesday: 'May We Be Forgiven' by A.M. Homes

Posted by Trisha on July 11, 2012

May We Be Forgivenby A.M. HomesViking • $26.95 • ISBN 9780670025480
on sale October 1, 2012

A.M. Homes' first novel in six years is the tale of a self-made family, formed in the aftermath of an unspeakable tragedy. Given that capsule description, it might seem odd to say that it also made me laugh out loud on just about every other page—but it's the truth. The phrase "darkly funny" might have been coined expressly for this book, whose deadpan voice and absurdist tone never falters. Not content with merely nodding to Don DeLillo's similarly surreal observances of modern life, Homes has the author show up in her story—twice.

But unlike DeLillo's work, May We Be Forgiven allows for the possibility of making something real out of the craziness of modern life, even as it acknowledges the difficulty of doing so. In this excerpt, Harry is visiting his brother George, whose life he's virtually taken over after a series of horrific events and acts land George in a mental institution.

"Fuckin' freak show," George says when they're all gone.

"And you're the star," I say.

"How's my dog and kitty?"

"Fine," I say. "It would have been nice to know about the invisible fence, but we figured it out."

"Are you giving Tessie [the dog] the vitamins and the anti-inflammatory?"

"Which ones are hers?"

"In the kitchen cabinet, the big jar."

"I thought they were yours," I say. "I've been taking them daily."

"You're a moron," George declares.

I pull the accordion file out from under my ass. "There are some things I have to ask you. I'll start with the small stuff: How does the outdoor light for the front yard work? Also, I met Hiram P. Moody, he came to the funeral—does he pay all the bills? . . . What's your PIN number? Also, I tried to use the credit card but it was password protected; they asked for your mother's maiden name. I typed in Greenberg, but it didn't work."

"Dandridge," George says.

"Whose name is that?"

"It's Martha Washington's maiden name," he says, like I should know.

"Funny enough, that had never occurred to me; I thought they meant your mother's maiden name, not like the mother of America."

"Sometimes I forget the actual family, but I never forget Martha," George says. "I'm surprised you didn't know, you call yourself a historian."

"Speaking of history, I tried to enter your place of birth as New York, but again I was wrong."

"I use Washington, D.C.," George says. "It's really a question of what I can keep in mind."